


Old Sins Cast Long Shadows

by zarabithia



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Anakin Skywalker Doesn't Turn to the Dark Side, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-04-03 18:01:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14001543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarabithia/pseuds/zarabithia
Summary: In this universe, when Palpatine asks if Anakin is going to kill him, Anakin does. While Anakin ultimately wins, it costs him his life. In this universe, the twins are raised by Ahsoka, Padmé, and Obi-Wan.





	1. Twilight

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Ahsoka's comment in Rebels: "The last time I saw him, he was rushing off to save the Chancellor, then everything changed." I basically wanted to play with that _and_ I wanted some Ahsoka bonding with the twins _and_ I wanted Padmé to live. I may have also wanted some Padmé/Obi-Wan slowing getting together after Anakin sacrifices himself heroically. So... I combined all of those into one fic. 
> 
> Some aspects are borrowed from the Ahsoka novel, though I've expanded or changed a few things there. Shout-out to Cero for looking over it, and shout-out to Yoda for giving me the title of the fic.

It's been so long since she's seen Anakin, and Ahsoka expects there to be at least some tension between them. 

"You worry too much," Rex tells her as they land. "General Skywalker always had too much of a soft spot for you to hold anything against you for long. We all feel that way. General Skywalker more than most." 

Ahsoka doesn't trust herself to say anything, so she musters her bravest smile, and they continue on their way to meet Obi-Wan and Anakin. She knows that Anakin wouldn't have agreed to meet with her and discuss what she has discovered about Maul if he'd been unwilling to work with with her, but she can't stop the small ball of worry in her gut. 

Fear is unbecoming a Jedi, she knows; but then, she's not a Jedi. 

When those familiar dark robes come into view, Anakin just stands there for a moment, looking her over. He doesn't give any indication that he's going to move, and Anakin _never_ hesitates. Ahsoka is sure that she's right and the wound is too fresh for him. She'd left, and Anakin isn't going to be able to forgive her for something that he no doubt views as a betrayal. 

Obi-Wan smiles at her, of course, and there's a steadiness coming from him that is so familiar, because when she thinks of Obi-Wan, she always thinks of how steady he always feels in the force. Anakin is loud and bright in the force - much more so than Obi-Wan - but Obi-Wan is a calming presence that Anakin never is. 

"I'm glad you could make it, Ahsoka. The situation in Mandalore will need our combined strengths. Though I do grow weary of these reunions Maul keeps insisting upon," Obi-Wan states, and the friendly grin is welcoming enough that she starts to answer him, because he deserves it.

But her words get swallowed in her throat when Anakin finally moves from his spot at Obi-Wan's side. He literally swoops her into a hug. Her feet leave the ground and the tight bundle of ropes that had been sitting in her stomach takes a hike, too. 

"Welcome back, Snips," he says and the time they've spent apart doesn't matter.

"It's good to be back, Skyguy. How've you been? How's Senator Amidala?" 

He blushes and ducks his head, and the three of them manage not to laugh at the unspoken knowledge that he still hasn't shared with them. For a very brief moment, Ahsoka feels like she has come home. 

~~

It is, of course, too good to be true. Lately, most things that haven't left her bruised or alone have tended to be that way. 

They have the time to form a plan before Obi-Wan and Anakin are contacted by the council. Ahsoka pushes away the irritation that the council doesn't deserve; it isn't their fault Grevious has managed to kidnap the Chancellor. 

"Sorry, Snips," Anakin says. "Gotta go play hero." 

"I'll stay with the troops and Rex. We'll take care of the situation on Mandalore," she says. "We'll save the reunion for next time." 

"Absolutely." He pauses, then leans down and grips her shoulder. "Promise me something. If anything happens... keep an eye on Senator Amidala." 

It's a whisper, which is stupid because all four of them know, of course they do. But she respects his silliness, as Rex and Obi-Wan do when they look away and pretend not to hear the conversation. 

"It's a promise, Skyguy. I'll take care of Padmé if you get too carried away playing hero." 

He gives her a sarcastic two-fingered salute, and that's the last Ahsoka ever sees of her master. 

~~

_//Once, when they'd been stuck between missions, and the only company they could stand was the three of them - and even that was questionable, if they are honest with one another - Ahsoka had sat between her master and her grandmaster, watching Obi-Wan completely destroy them both at sabaac._

_"Don't look so sour, master. He's not just oliberating you," Ahsoka had told Anakin, who had scowled harder at the fate in front of him._

_"But I am good at this game when I play with Rex and Cody," Anakin had complained._

_"No. You just are able to attempt at cheating better when you play with the clones," Obi-Wan had argued. "But our bond doesn't allow it. Does it, Padawan Tano?"_

_"Nope!" Ahsoka had agreed. "You're far too loud in my head for that, Master."_

_"Like standing beneath twin suns," Obi-Wan had commented._

_Anakin's smile had been brief, but present, before scowling at the hand Obi-Wan placed on the table in front of them. "No sand jokes, Master." //_

On the day Anakin dies, the bond Ahsoka once shared with him has already dimmed considerably. Her choice of leaving has seen to that, so that the harsh and brilliant twin suns that Anakin had been in her mind has dwindled to that Tatooine's sunset. 

But a sunset on Tatooine still holds more warmth than darkness; their mission for the Hutts all those years ago had taught Ahsoka that and it is a lesson she remembers when the last of their bond is wrenched from her.

In a middle of a fight on Mandalore, Ahsoka only escapes joining her master in the force because of Rex's sharp reflexes. 

But the mometentarily slip is all the battle - or the Force - allows. People are depending on her, and it is time to fight now. She will grieve later; doing anything less would dishonor both the woman she is and the padawan she'd been. 

 

~ 

After Maul's death, Ahsoka wants nothing more than to run back to the temple. She wants to find Obi-Wan and ask for every detail that she doesn't know. It will destroy her - she's certain of it. But she needs to know because, after all, she could have been there. She could have been fighting at her master's side. 

But instead, she is here on Mandalore. She is here and she can't leave yet, because there are so many loose ends to tie up after Almec is taken back into custody. 

So much that she doesn't want to deal with, and she says as much to Rex. 

He hesitates, which isn't the norm for him at all. Clones grieve too, after all, especially when someone they'd served under had been killed. 

"What we're doing here is important," Rex says eventually. "General Skywalker gave too much to the war for us to not see it through." 

"We all gave too much," she snaps, and then she immediately regrets it because it isn't as though Rex hadn't been close to Anakin too. He's just being a better soldier than Ahsoka is. "You're right. I just ... shouldn't be here." 

It isn't just her heart telling her that, but she's had experience in telling people that the Force sometimes tells you to walk away. That conversation never goes well. So she lets it be, and tries to contact Obi-Wan yet again. 

Fourteen messages are sent to Obi-Wan before she gets a reply. After the third unanswered hail, she is angry. After the fifth, she is nervous. After the eighth, she wonders if her bond with Anakin - and her grief - are so strong that they are blocking yet another loss in their lineage. 

The minute his face comes into view when he returns her message, it's all Ahsoka can do to keep her temper intact. "Where have you been? Why haven't you answered? I felt -"

And she stops, because she can't _say it_. If she doesn't say it, maybe it won't be real. Maybe she will have felt the wrong thing. She _isn't_ a Jedi and it's possible that she sensed it all wrong. 

"I'm sorry," he begins, and he sounds so distraught that Ahsoka wonders if she will lose Obi-Wan too. Not to death, she thinks, but to the dark side. The concept of losing Obi-Wan isn't new; he's always been so ready to jump into the fight. He and Anakin are - or had been - so similar that way, and Ahsoka has no idea how the council, in all of their worry for Anakin Skywalker, couldn't see just how similar he is ( _was_ ) to the other half of The Team. 

"It's okay," she says softly. "I ... understand. I know it's difficult for you." Her voice sounds a thousand miles away, as if it isn't her own. She can feel tears threatening to spill and she wills them away. Anakin is gone and Obi-Wan is barely here; she has to be strong. 

"I assume... you've heard the news," Obi-Wan says, and Ahsoka tries not to be angry.

"I didn't need to hear it. I felt it!" Despite her desire to be strong, Ahsoka can't help but be furious, momentarily, at Obi-Wan for thinking that her bond with Anakin hadn't let her know the minute he'd been taken from them.

But Obi-Wan is shaking his head. "No. I didn't mean about... " he closes his eyes, and for the first time, the sixteen year difference between him and Anakin is visible in so many lines that Ahsoka has never noticed before, all over his face. "I meant about the Chancellor." 

Ahsoka frowns and shakes her head. "Chancellor Palpatine? What does he have to do with anything?" 

"Chancellor Palpatine is dead. Anakin killed him," Obi-Wan tells her. 

"That doesn't make any sense. Chancellor Palpatine and Master Skywalker were friends. Master Skywalker trusted him. Sometimes even more than he trusted us." It hurts to say, but it's true, and Ahsoka will not be jealous and petty about it. Even though a small part of her wants to, because every moment that Anakin spent with Palpatine is a moment in a life far too short to have been shared with someone who isn't Senator Amidala or Obi-Wan.

"It's a long story, but ... Anakin died a hero." Obi-Wan's voice is firm, as though he needs to argue with her. Ahsoka wonders what battles he's been fighting that would make him believe that she'd ever consider Anakin Skywalker anything other than a hero. "Unfortunately, the Senate is in a bit of a ... chaotic state at the moment, and they are not in agreement with that fact, even if ... most of the council is." 

_Most._ Ahsoka does not dwell on her feelings on the council. The hurt is still raw and deep and if she allows it... _no._

Instead she dwells on something else. "How is Senator Amidala holding up?" 

Ahsoka feels a surge of grief as she thinks about the senator, who has always been kind and strong, and how much grief she must be feeling. 

Obi-Wan shakes his head several times, and the Negiator is without a voice. Ahsoka battles with her own patience for a long moment, but she lets him find his voice on his own. "Senator Amidala has resigned from the Senate for personal reasons," he answers. "She has taken vacation ... though we aren't sure where." 

"Not Naboo?" 

"No." Obi-Wan frowns at something over his shoulder, and looks even more weary than before. "I'm sorry, Ahsoka; I have to go." 

The ending of the call is abrupt, and Ahsoka takes several deep breaths before she goes to check on Rex and fill him in. 

~ 

Later, she sits in the ship and tries to meditate. She isn't a Jedi anymore, but some teachings are difficult to let go of, and the powerful feelings that are surging through her need to be released into the force. 

She sits and closes her eyes and tries to steady her thoughts. It's not the first time she's mediated under durress; being able to release her feelings into the force after walking away from the Order had been, at the time, the most difficult thing she'd ever done. 

But this is worse. It's worse because she keeps seeing Obi-Wan's tired, distraught face and feeling the warmth of Master Skywalker's hand on her shoulder. 

_"Welcome back, Snips."_

The tears she'd fought so hard not to shed with Obi-Wan come freely down her cheeks now, and the harder she tries to focus, the more those tears fall. 

_"Promise me something. If anything happens... keep an eye on Senator Amidala."_

_"But I don't know where she is!"_ Ahsoka shouts back to the force. 

No. Shouting this close to grief ... leads to the dark side. Attachment ... 

Attachment. Ahsoka hates the word; it's the reason she'd been denied the opportunity to have Master Plo as a Master. It's the reason that she'd been given to Master Skywalker (to teach him how to let go of his attachments). 

But, Ahsoka argues to the force itself, they are all so very much attached. She knows there are Jedi who wil argue that love and compassion are not the same as attachment, and maybe for some of the order, that is true. 

Maybe the fact that she can't separate attachment from love is why she has never been cut out to be a Jedi. 

But then, Obi-Wan isn't doing great on that front, either.

And Anakin... well, his inability to let go of his attachments is legendary. 

_"Focus,"_ a voice murmurs to her from the force, and the instruction is a memory, Master Skywalker's voice, chiding her gently. She breathes deeply and a second voice joins his; it's a voice she does not recognize. It sounds older, deeper, coarse like finely ground rock or ... 

_Sand._

Ahsoka breathes in again and she's feeling sand against her arms. The sun is bright and Ahsoka squints against the memory of a planet her former master had hated. She struggles to breathe, because the planet's harshness made it that way and her emotional state is not helping. 

_"There is no emotion, there is peace."_ Ahsoka whispers into the force. The heat on her arms grows stronger as she repeats the rest of the code. She makes it to " _"There is no death, there is the Force"_ before a vision of Padmé swims before her. 

_"Promise me something. If anything happens... keep an eye on Senator Amidala."_

Ahsoka takes a deep breath and opens her eyes. "I promise," she says aloud.

~ 

Rex looks up as she sits down next to him. "How'd the meditation go?" he asks. 

"Pretty good," she tells him, which is true ... from a certain point of view. 

He looks at her skeptically, which tells Ahsoka she must look as bad as her vision had felt. "That so?" 

"Well... I did figure out where we're heading to next," Ahsoka tells him. "That's progress, right?" 

"I suppose so. I take it we're not heading back to Coruscant?"

"No," she says, and Rex's relief is visible. Apparently, he _has_ been paying attention to the news that Ahsoka has been ignoring since her former master's death. 

"Then where to, Commander?" 

She debates telling him that she's not a commander, because it won't do any good. There are more important things to focus on anyway. 

"We're going to Tatooine," she tells him. "So I can keep my promise."


	2. Nightfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka and Padme are reunited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've added an additional tag: "angst with a happy ending," because things are pretty sad now, but I want to make clear they won't always be that way. Anakin's death won't be a wasted sacrifice and the twins get to be happy. Also, there will be more Obi-Wan next chapter.
> 
> Much love to Cero for discussing desert climates with me. Even more love to the Ahsoka novel for breaking my heart and giving me the "tribe" stuff that I have included into this chapter.

It's hotter on Tatooine than Ahsoka remembers, but stepping out of the ship, she can't focus on the discomfort that the twin suns bring. The minute that her foot comes in contact with sand, there is a strong shift in the Force. 

Ahsoka isn't Obi-Wan, and the Force simply doesn't talk to her as loudly as it does to him (or to Anakin, the part of her heart that is still trying to mourn even though she doesn't have time for it, reminds her). But Ahsoka's first step onto the planet results in a shift in the force that is so strong that it makes her almost dizzy. She's heard people talk about the Force "singing" before, but the loudness of the Force's presence seems to be more of a joyful shout. 

She can't imagine Master Yoda or Obi-Wan ever describing the force as doing something as undignified as shouting, but through the dizziness, that's what it feels like to Ahsoka. But it's not as alarming as she thinks it probably should be. 

When the moment passes, Rex is clearing his throat next to her. "Are you alright, Commander? You looked like you were gonna pass out there for a minute." 

"I'll be alright, Rex," she tells him. "As soon as I find Senator Amidala." 

"As soon as _we_ find Senator Amidala," he corrects her. 

"You have to stay with the ship," she insists. 

"It makes more sense to accompany you. This is a dangerous planet and you're not exactly ... at your best." 

It's a kind and diplomatic way to say that she's too emotionally distraught to face any potential threat. But despite the lingering truth of his words, Ahsoka knows she needs to find Padmé and face her alone. Rex's grief is never doubted, but Padmé needs a friend right now, and that is something Rex has never been to her - to Ahsoka and Anakin, yes, but to Padmé, no.

"It is a dangerous planet, Rex. That's why I need you to stay with the ship," she tells him. "Unless you want to be stranded here." 

Rex takes a look around the planet and shakes his head. "I'd really rather not. Sand ... gets everywhere. Be a terrible place to live." 

Despite the pain still circling the place where her master-padawan bond had been, Ahsoka can swear she feels amusement in the Force. Maybe she can. Maybe Anakin's hatred of sand lingers on, more powerful even than death.

"Then stay here and make sure we have a way to escape." 

Rex looks reluctant, but he nods his agreement finally. "Alright."

 

~

The journey to find Padmé mostly makes Ahsoka wonder how she can feel so _old_. She knows, of course, that she isn't really. The years since she had to shake off being called a "youngling" are not so far away. But she feels tired, deep inside, as she struggles against the sand Anakin had hated so much. She feels as tired as Obi-Wan had looked the last time they'd spoken.

She thanks the Force for guiding her to at tiny settlement (though, she supposes, it's probably a large one by Tatooine's standards.) It occurs to her that she has no way to ask about Padmé without potentially jeopardizing her safety. 

_I promised I'd keep her safe_ , Ahsoka thinks irritably. But there has to be another option, she reasons. Padmé wouldn't come all the way to Tatooine without having a plan. Even if her escape had been a desperate last-minute flee, there's no way the most determined woman that Ahsoka knows would have just fled without plotting out where exactly she was going.

"You look lost," a Toydarian addresses her. 

Ahsoka glances around the barren shop. At least, she supposes it's a shop. It could also be a junkyard, for all that she knows. It is empty, with only the Toydarian and Ahsoka occupying space. It can't be a very busy shop, then. She wonders how hard it is to thrive in a world governed by the Hutts. 

"Not lost," Ahsoka answers. "Just looking around." 

"Who comes to Tatooine to _look around_? Nobody!" His wings flap in irritation, then he leans in closer to her, as if to tell her a secret. Ahsoka's hands itch for the lightsabers Anakin had given back to her, but she remains in place. "People come to Tatooine because they need something. You need something? I can get it for you... for a price." 

People do come to a place like Tatooine because they need something - whether it's spare parts, a place to hide, or something that only a Hutt can offer. So what did Padmé need, now that Anakin was gone? Somewhere to hide? Obi-Wan has said that the Jedi and the Senate are still questioning Anakin's actions. So, sure, maybe she needed a place to hide. But there were thousands of worlds she could have chosen to hide on, and something had to be special about Tatooine to balance out the harshness of this world. 

"I'm looking for someone," she says reluctantly. 

The Toydarian looks her up and down. "Are you a bounty hunter? A bit too short to be a Jedi, I think." 

His tone is mocking, and Ahsoka thinks again fondly of her lightsabers. But she is able to say, truthfully. "I'm neither." 

The Toydarian tilts his head and shakes all over in disbelief. "Those are the only reasons anyone comes to Tatooine... unless... you too are looking for family?" 

Family. _Family_. Did Anakin still have family on Tatooine? Was that the reason that Padmé had come here? 

"No," The Toydarian is saying. "There are no Togrutas here. I would have noticed that. Stick out a bit, yes?"

Ahsoka just grins at him. "I am looking for family, actually." The grin is difficult to maintain, because it hurts to say, but it is true. Her family has always had a core of three: Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan. One of them is dead, the other is in hiding on this planet and the last ... the last is holding together the pieces of the mess the rest of them can't fix. 

"Someone I can help you find? For a price? No Republican credits. They're worth less now than they were the last time someone offered them to me." 

"I'm looking for the Skywalkers," she says. 

He physically moves back from her, and she resists the urge to yell at him for it. She doesn't know why he does it. Protection of them? Unlikely - Ahsoka doesn't know much about Anakin's past because he refuses ... refused ... to discuss it with her. But she can't imagine that he ever had much in the way of friends on this planet. 

Anakin Skywalker would never forget a friend, and if he'd had friends on Tatooine, she would know about them. 

"There are no more Skywalkers here," he says. "Haven't been in years." 

He isn't telling the truth, the Force tells her. He turns to leave, but Ahsoka's lightsabers are at his throat before he can get far. 

"You aren't being truthful," she says. "I want to know where the Skywalker family is." 

"Okay, okay! I will tell you and you ... will owe me." He's braver than most would be, with the lightsabers at his throat. 

But perhaps he realizes that they are alone, and nobody else is here to save him. 

"You will tell me," she corrects. "And I will be in your debt." 

He considers this. "I have some people... dirty people... they owe me money. You could visit them, perhaps. Fix the score." 

"I'll consider it," she tells him, because she has another promise to keep. "Where can I find the Skywalker family?" 

He sighs. "I told you, no Skywalkers. Only Owen and Beru Lars. The last Skywalker is dead. You're a Jedi, you know this, yes? His mother... she died many years ago." 

It sounds like the truth, but not all of it. "Tell me where to find the Lars family, then." 

~

It is approaching dark when Ahsoka makes her way to the Lars' homestead. It's a long walk and the unbearable heat of the day is easing up to the point where there is a chill in the air. Desert nights are worse than desert days, she remembers. It makes it easier for Ahsoka to breathe, but her clothes are still soaked through with sweat from the journey.

As she walks, she wonders if this far from everywhere place is where Anakin grew up. She can't imagine that. Her master, who had always loved being in the center of _everything_ , being this isolated. She consoles herself with the knowledge that it's been a long time since Anakin had been here. Maybe he'd lived elsewhere. She hopes so. Slavery is bad enough and her heart aches that his life had ever included that... but being stuck out here, in the middle of nowhere, without the opportunity to show off what he could do? That sounds even worse.

As she gets closer, she sees the silhouettes of two female figures sitting on a rocky ledge next to the small hut that the Lars family calls home. Her eyes are strained from spending so many hours squinting in the harsh sunlight, but the closer she gets, the more certain she is that one of them is Padmé. She might be in hiding, but her dress and posture belongs to Naboo and quite obviously _not_ Tatooine. 

"Padmé!" she calls, impulsively, when she is still several feet away. Impatience drives her and she disregards any reason she should be more cautious. 

Padmé looks up immediately, and Ahsoka receives an answering cry in return. "Ahsoka!" There's as much relief in that voice as there had been impatience in Ahsoka's, and that relief gives Ahsoka newfound energy to quicken her pace. 

She is throwing her arms around Padmé in a hug before she even acknowledges the other woman beside them. Padmé hugs her back, tightly; Padmé is crying, and that's something that the strongest woman Ahsoka has ever known has not done in front of her before. It's almost enough to distract Ahsoka from the considerable roundness of Padmé's stomach.

_Almost._

She pulls back in shock. "You're pregnant?" she gasps in disbelief. 

Padmé nods, and there are even more tears in those pretty eyes. 

"You must have worked up quite a thirst walking all this way," the woman standing beside Padmé says. "I'll get you something to drink." 

"Thank you, Beru," Padmé says. 

The other woman pats Padmé's arm, and turns to go into the little hut. Ahsoka hears her telling someone to "not worry, Owen; the girl's obviously family, too." 

But Ahsoka's mind's not on that. It's on the fact that Skyguy is going to be a dad. 

_Was._

She swallows down the hurt and hugs Padmé again. This hug is less desperate and more gentle. When it ends, Padmé takes a seat on the edge of the rocky cliff. Ahsoka sits down beside her, and impulsively takes Padmé's hands in her own. Padmé responds by squeezing her hands tightly, and not letting go. 

"I'm so glad you came," Padmé says. "Owen and Beru have been great and so understanding, but ... I was worried about you and Obi-Wan." 

"We're both fine," Ahsoka says, because Padmé doesn't need to know that she worries about Obi-Wan. Not when Padmé has to worry about a _baby_. "Owen and Beru - they were Anakin's family?" 

It shouldn't hurt so much just to say his name, but it does. Much that shouldn't be true has been true in the past couple of days, though, so Ahsoka supposes she can't start complaining about this particular inconvient truth. 

"They are ..." Padmé's voice falters, as if she is struggling with the same tense issues that Ahsoka has been trying to struggle with. Then she straightens and it is _Senator Amidala's_ voice that answers Ahsoka. "Owen's father married Anakin's mother. Owen and Beru are the only family left." 

"No," Ahsoka denies, and she supposes it's petty. "I'm here. Obi-Wan is still here. We're Anakin's family, too. 

Padmé squeezes her hands again. "I know, but the Republic is going to need you. It needs me too, but I ... there are so many questions about Anakin right now. I want to be right there, defending him. But won't it make things look worse to know that he has a secret family? He needs to look like the model Jedi ... and we would jeapordize that. I can't do anything to jeapordize the Senate realizing that Anakin died a _hero_. The Senate ... is more corrupt than we ever knew, and they already have a history of ... not making the right choice." 

She looks directly at Ahsoka when she says it, and Ahsoka knows that they are thinking of the same memory. 

"The Senate and The Republic have Obi-Wan," she says. "But I made a promise to Anakin to keep an eye on you, and it's a promise I gotta keep." 

"I am fine, Ahsoka. I don't need - "

"Padmé," Ahsoka interrupts. "Did you know that my people are tribal? Even after Master Plo found me and brought me to the Temple, my connection to the Force connected me to so many... and I lost that when I left. But you, and Anakin, and Obi-Wan were always going to be my tribe, no matter what. Please don't ask me to break a promise to one of you, because I _can't._ Please don't ask me to leave you, because I _can't._ " 

Padmé is quiet for a moment, then she gives a soft laugh that is deeply wrapped in a not-quite sob. "Oh, Ahsoka, I'd never be able to truly ask you to leave. Not when _our family_ is about to add another member." 

Ahsoka glances down at Padmé's stomach. "Can I ...?" she asks.

In reply, Padmé takes guides Ahsoka's hand to her stomach. 

Just as had been the case when Ashoka stepped off the ship, the Force becomes incredibly loud in Ahsoka's head. There's an overwhelming happiness and a sense of _rightness_ that Ahsoka has never known in all her years fighting in a war or trying to find herself outside of being a Jedi. 

Through the Force's celebration, Ahsoka feels a quiet murmur in her mind; it's an innocence wrapped around a thread of worry and anxiousness. It is quickly joined by a second murmur. Without thinking about it, Ahsoka quickly sends reassurance through the link, the same way Anakin had whenever a battle had been difficult. 

_You're safe. Your mother is safe. Nothing is going to happen to you._ It is a string of promises that she thinks as loudly as possible, and it must work, because the anxiousness and worry ease. 

"Is the baby okay?" Padmé asks.

Ahsoka laughs softly. "Our _tribe_ is going to grow by _two_ , Padmé." 

"Twins?" Padmé asks in disbelief. Ahsoka nods, and Padmé's hands join Ahsoka's in craddling her stomach. "Oh, _Ani_ , I wish ..." she trails off. 

But it's okay, because Ahsoka knows what she is going to say. "I wish he was here to know it, too." 

_But he isn't, so I will teach them. I will keep my promise._

They sit there for a moment in silence until Beru comes out of the hut carrying two drinks. Ahsoka drinks it gratefully, wondering why she never realized she was so parched. 

~

Tatooine's twin suns are barely noticeable when Ahsoka rises. She and Padmé have had to share a bed, and it's barely big enough for the two of them. When the twins get here, there will simply not be room in Lars' home for the four of them. 

Live on Tatooine they will, and maybe even nearby. But their family will have to have their own place. 

Owen offers to escort her back to the ship, but she declines. She departs with warnings to watch out for the Sand people, and she resists reminding him that she has fought pirates, Sith assassins, and hordes of droids. He means well, but she has a feeling that the lack of room in the small hut is not the only reason that she and Padmé have to get a place of their own soon.

Rex is doing maintenance on the ship when she arrives. 

"Sorry I didn't come back earlier," she says, and grins when he offers her breakfast.

"It's alright, Commander. Figured you had to travel pretty far to get where you needed to go. While you were gone, General Kenobi sent you a message." 

Ahsoka sits next to him and they watch as Obi-Wan's heavily cloaked form shows up in the transmission. He looks even more tired, and honestly, Ashoka wishes he was here so he could feel how happy the Force is. If he could feel how content the babies feel under her fingers, maybe some of those lines would ease. 

_"As an update...the Senate is still in a chaotic state thanks to Anakin's heroic defeat of Palpatine. Although **the Sith Lord** was found with a red lightsaber, his supporters are determined to argue that the lightsaber was planted by the Jedi. Other factions are trying to actually argue that Sith religious freedom is no different than the Jedi practicing their beliefs. Bail and Mon Mothma are leading the good fight, but ... it is trying battle for them."_ Obi-Wan sighs and Ahsoka struggles to contain her anger. _"Meanwhile, we also found ... evidence that Palpatine was planning to use the Clones against us. Though the Senate has dismissed this as well, The Council is requesting that all Clones return to Coruscant."_

The transmission ends abruptly, and Ahsoka notes that his words were careful not to address any of them. He's protecting them, and Ahsoka's urge to have him there with the rest of their family only grows. 

"I have to go," Rex tells her. 

"What? No. Come on, Rex. You can't go."

"The Council requests my presence. I have to go. I don't have anything to hide."

"The Council does not always care about the truth," Ahsoka says, a little more bitterly than she intended. 

Rex shakes his head. "I have to go for General Kenobi's sake. He's fighting the battle to clear General Skywalker's name. He doesn't need to fight a battle to protect a wayward Clone, too. Besides... I don't want them to come looking and find you. Or the senator."

It's not logic that she can argue with, no matter how much she wants to. "Be careful," she says. "And tell Obi-Wan we miss him." 

He gives her a short nod. "Take care of yourself, kid." 

"I will," she says. 

The twin suns are peeking over the horizon as Rex flies away, but the heat of the day does nothing to comfort Ahsoka as she watches him go.


	3. Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Between dealing with Owen Lars and trying to earn money in a way that appeases her conscience, Ahsoka is not having the easiest time on Tatooine. A visitor changes that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, if anyone is still reading this, I'm so sorry it took so long to update. 
> 
> Secondly, Obi-Wan really will show up in the next chapter.

It's been a month since Ahsoka arrived on Tatooine, and in that month, she has grown to be very thankful for her Jedi training. She is fairly certain that it is only her Jedi training that allows her to keep her promise to Anakin and control her temper.

Owen Lars might be _Anakin's_ family and he might consider Anakin a brother... but they are nothing alike. The warmth and familial fondness that Ahsoka can't really remember not feeling for Anakin will never develop for Owen Lars, that she is certain.

A month and two days since arriving on Tatooine, Ahsoka's certainty is awarded during breakfast. Ahsoka is careful to slide out of the bed and not disturb Padmé. While Padmé does need to eat, she also needs to sleep and Ahsoka is pretty sure she's only gotten a combined four hours of sleep total this week. The twins are very active and the small bed that they share is small enough that Ahsoka can feel the kicks of each of them each night as Padmé lies on her side, facing Ahsoka. 

She can feel them through the Force too, and sometimes she wonders if Padmé is more sensitive than they ever knew, because on the nights when the twins are the most active through the Force, Padmé gets the least sleep.

Maybe the Force sensitivity is a result of the pregnancy. Maybe it's temporary. Or maybe it was there all along and Padmé and Anakin were even better for one another than any of them had ever thought.

On this particular morning, Ahsoka very gently tucks the sheets back around Padmé and replaces her body with her pillow so that Padmé will not notice her absence. Then she gingerly makes her way to the breakfast table where Beru is already pouring her a glass of blue milk. 

Owen looks at her critically as she sits down. Ahsoka wants to say that the schedule of a desert planet is different than the schedule of a Jedi. Here, her whole life is supposed to revolve around the suns' rising and setting. 

"You only have a few hours left before it gets too hot," he tells her. "Won't have time to go to town today." 

"I've been in hotter weather," she says. She doesn't say that she's walked for miles during the hottest part of Tatooine's day, because ... it's too early to grieve for Anakin. There's work to be done and if her Master could be here, he'd be the first to tell her to work now and cry later.

She's sure of it.

"Might be. But I need your help on our vaporator. You live here, you have to contribute, not just go off to play around until it's time to eat or go to sleep." 

"Owen - "

"No, Beru. She's been here a month. It's enough time that she quit taking advantage of our family's hospitality. We owe Padmé and the twins our home. We don't owe her anything."

"I will be going to town today, as I do everyday, because that is how I make money," Ahsoka says slowly. It takes effort not to lose her temper, but the twins will feel it if she does. So she breathes deeply, like Master Plo had taught her once. "The very same place where I earn credits that have brought you food and supplies for the past month. The very credits that I am saving up so that Padmé and I can move _our family_ out of your home and into one of our _own._ "

She breathes again, deeply, and takes a drink of her milk. She'll miss this milk when they move out. It's all she'll miss, honestly. 

"Family? You think you can protect them on your own? How many Skywalkers do the Jedi plan on murdering before you leave my family alone?" 

"I think," Ahsoka says setting the cup down a bit more forcefully than she'd intended. "That if the Lars family was any better at keeping Skywalkers alive, Luke and Leia would get to meet their grandmother." 

It's a cruel and mean thing to say, and the Force darkens with disapproval.

Owen leaves abruptly. Ahsoka apologizes to Beru before she leaves too, because surviving on a hell desert planet means getting out and doing work even when your heart is bruised. 

~ 

There is not an over abundance of opportunities on Tatooine for making money. The ones that exist can basically be broken done into criminal activity, moisture farming, or slavery. Slavery and farming are both deal breakers for Ahsoka. She'd dodged the blaster fire on being forced into a life of farming back when they'd suspended the Agri Corps during the War, after all. And if living on the Lars homestead has taught her anything, it is that she does not have the patience to be a moisture farmer.

While Anchorhead might be a small town, that actually works in Ahsoka's favor. She has someone - three someones, actually - to protect, and although Mos Eisley sounds like a perfect place to be able to earn credits in fashions that might not be entirely legal, it also sounds like a good way to draw the attention of the Hutt family. 

The last thing Ahsoka wants to deal with right now is the Hutts. Well... that isn't exactly true. The longer she's on Tatooine, the more she wants to take her lightsabers and go deal with the Hutts directly. Jabba is the very worst of the lot, and the whole planet suffers because he exists. The vows and duties that she once swore her allegiance to swirl within her and she very much wants the right to go take care of Jabba herself.

But she made a promise, and her promise does not involve killing Jabba. When her feelings get too conflicted and the pull towards addressing Jabba herself is the loudest, Ahsoka makes herself remember the Battle of Ryloth and Axe, Slammer, Kickback, Tucker, and Swoop. She makes herself remember what it was like to take on too much at one time. _"I know you meant well, Snips. But there's a bigger picture here you're not aware of."_

Except that Ahsoka knows full well this time what the bigger picture is. So in order to keep her promise, the very last thing Ahsoka wants to deal with is Jabba or the rest of the Hutt clan. She sticks to Anchorhead, which is frankly out of the Hutts' area of concern. 

She walks into the small cantina that she is temporarily using as a place of business and shakes the sand from her hood as she lets it fall to her shoulders. As she takes a seat at a corner table that gives her a full view of the door, she wonders what it will be today. Yesterday, she'd had to round up two banthas that a couple needed for their farm. Two days before that, she'd had to recapture stolen protocol droids from the Tusken Raiders. 

Ahsoka doesn't hate anyone or anything, but she strongly dislikes fighting the Raiders because the Force always swirls around her with a fury that feels ... pained whenever she does. She can't explain it, but she chalks it up to the fact that she's charging money from families who need her help and that's never the path she wanted.

But she made a _promise._

~

Today there are no Tusken Raiders. Today, there is only Chal, a Twi'lek far from his home world, who is a great thief but a terrible mechanic. Fortunately for Chal, Ahsoka is a great mechanic, or at least as great as Tatooine has seen. She sits in the pilot seat of Chal's probably stolen speeder and he tells her about Ryloth.

She doesn't tell him that she's seen it, and she doesn't mention that it sounds as though he left before he could make any firm memories of it. 

"I might go back someday," he tells her as Ahsoka fixes the navigation system. It's broken really, really badly, and Ahsoka is glad. Completing this job means that she can take the day off from work tomorrow and go looking for a good place for her and Padmé to live.

"What's the matter, Chal? You don't love Tatooine?" Ahsoka teases. 

"My darling Togruta, you'd have to have bantha shit for brains to love Tatooine," he replies. 

The Force feels warm and bright and ... amused around her. She can't imagine that the Force is ever actually amused, so perhaps the heat of the day is getting to her. 

"Oh, not me," she lies. "All that coarse, gritty sand! All the crime! The two suns beating down on us every day! What's not to love?" 

Chal laughs, and his pale face is not quite as lovely as Aayla's, but it is definitely charming. "My dear Ashla, you forgot the sarlacc and the slavery." 

"Technically, the slavery falls under the 'crime,'" she points out.

"Ah, but does anyone in the Republic care?" 

Ahsoka sighs, thinks of her promise and fiddles with the last remaining control. 

"I'm sure someone out there cares," she says. 

"Perhaps," Chal says. "But they are not here, so does it make any difference to us?" 

Ahsoka thinks of Rex and she thinks of Obi-Wan. Then she very consciously does not answer. 

The computer which had barely sputtered to life when Ahsoka had arrived now turns on flawlessly and hums as gently as any Republic ship could hope for, let alone a tiny speeder in the middle of nowhere. "There you go, Chal. I'll take the other half of those credits you owe me, now." 

"Mm. I don't suppose I could offer you 500 credits instead?" 

"You're 1000 credits off from what you should offer." But Ahsoka is not offended. Nobody on Tatooine gives up credits freely, even the ones who can afford to do so. 

"But you have had the pleasure of my company. Shouldn't that give me a discount?" 

"You've had the pleasure of mine. I should charge you more for it." 

Chal smiles and offers the credits without further argument. "If you get tired of earning a living, little Togruta, you would make a delightful thief. At least until it is time for me to return home. With your charm and venom, of course." 

Ahsoka wonders where Chal will actually go, because it won't be Ryloth. She also doesn't correct the old fairy tale that her people are venomous. On Tatooine, it's better for everyone to assume the worst. "You see anyone with a machine that needs fixing, you send them to me, okay?" 

"I hear Watto over in Mos Espa could use your help. I've mentioned you before and he - " 

"I don't work for slavers, Chal." 

There are many things that Ahsoka has had to look the other way and ignore since coming to Tatooine. But that can't be one of them. 

"Of course, my little Togruta." 

~

It's approaching the middle of the day when Ahsoka finishes up with Chal, so she makes her way back to the cantina. There's still time to fit in another job, even if she doesn't necessary need it. 

She has only been sitting for a few minutes when she feels a familiar tug of the Force that alerts her to the presence of another Force user. It feels ... not quite as calm as Obi-Wan or even Anakin. Ahsoka's fingers itch and she reaches for her lightsabers. 

"You won't need those," a voice tells her, and then a tall man she's never met before is sitting down in front of her, long limbs splayed out to demonstrate that he's comfortable and she should be, too. "I come in peace, and Obi-Wan says hello." 

Ahsoka relaxes at the mention of Obi-Wan. It's been so long since she's seen him or heard from him, but the knowledge that he's still out there, he's still okay, and he's ... apparently sending random Jedi to Tatooine to check on her is enough to ease the weight of Ahsoka's burdens, if only momentarily. 

"He couldn't come himself?" she asks.

"See, usually people are happy to see me. I'm the _fun_ one in the Order." He says it quietly, but there's nothing shy about the grin he flashes her or the way he tips his chair, balancing on two legs while he takes a sip of the truly terrible alcohol that Alstarr serves. 

"The fun one died," Ahsoka says. She is more than a little peevish when she says it, and the Force howls loudly around her, as though it's trying to reprimand her. She doesn't know why. She isn't lying. 

He has the grace to look a little somber at that, but only momentarily. "Anakin Skywalker died the way he lived. As a hero. None of us will ever forget that, and it would be a shame if his Padawan was the only one who did." 

His words are quiet, but the intensity behind them isn't. It reminds her so much of Anakin and she wonders if they knew each other. They would have been good friends, Ahsoka thinks. 

"Does _everyone_?" she asks. "The last I heard from Obi-Wan, that wasn't true." 

He shrugs. "Most of us never doubted. Why would we? Skywalker was a great general. We knew that. We saw proof of it. The Council... well. Sometimes it takes them a while to come around. The lightsaber wasn't enough to convince them, but the Sith holocrons were." He pauses. "There was also some other proof that both confirmed and upset them, but that's for Obi-Wan to tell you, not me." 

"You should tell me," Ahsoka protests.

"Nah. That's not why I'm here." He reaches into his pockets and passes her a pouch. "Courtesy of Obi-Wan and certain... sympathetic fractions in the Senate. There's papers in there to help you look official in case anyone gets suspicious, though... it looks like you have Anchorhead wrapped well around your fingers."

Ahsoka glances into the pouch and gasps out loud at the other contents. 

"Yeah, the credits should allow you to take a day or two off," her visitor says amicably. 

More than that, Ahsoka thinks. It's enough that she can buy them somewhere to live and a place to set up business somewhere besides this old cantina. 

"Goodbye, Owen Lars," she says cheerfully. 

"You know... they're your credits. I would never tell you how to spend them. But on my way here, I ran into a nasty little fellow who wouldn't stop bitching about you not doing business with him."

"I don't do business with _slavers_. I might not be a Jedi anymore, but I still can't do that." 

He glances around the room, but Ahsoka shrugs. The great thing about Anchorhead is nobody cares what you are doing unless they want something from you. They're alone, and nobody is going to care about their conversation. 

Eventually, he realizes it and shrugs. "Turns out that little bug is the same one who used to enslave your former Master and his mother. Same bug is also having a lot of trouble keeping hold of his business. Be a real shame if someone bought it; money would go to all the people he owes and not a drop to him." 

The Force whirls with joy and it's not hard to figure out why. Padmé would be in a town, not stuck out in the desert where the Tusken Raiders could show up at any time. They'd be further away from Owen Lars, too, and the urge to punch him might actually decrease. 

"How do you know all that? Did Obi-Wan tell you?" 

She knows Anakin didn't. Anakin didn't talk about his past with anyone, not even other "fun" Jedi.

"Nah. I was here, with Aayla, at the same time that Qui-Gon met Anakin. Got to see Watto being a bastard first hand." 

At the mention of Aayla, suddenly it clicks who the other man is. "Quinlan Vos," she says smugly. "Obi-Wan sent _you_?" 

"I'm the best shadow he knows," he retorts. "Who else would he send?" 

Now that she knows who he is, she asks a question that has been bothering her for a while. Aayla trusts him, Obi-Wan trusts him, and Ahsoka trusts both of them. "The Force... does it feel differently to you here, on this planet?" 

If he's confused about the change in conversation, he doesn't show it. "Nope. Never has and still doesn't. But then... maybe it's not _me_ The Force is trying to talk to." 

"Why would the Force want to talk to me?" 

He takes a drink before he answers her, and the look on his face isn't exactly pity. "There is no death. There is only the Force." But then his smile is a little less somber as he says, "Obi-Wan's been feeling strange shit too. Maybe your master decided to haunt you both." 

"Sounds like Anakin," Ahsoka says. "When you return... tell Obi-Wan he needs to put in an appearance soon. He's going to miss..." Ahsoka trails off, because she doesn't know how much Quinlan Vos knows. So she goes with, "He's going to miss a hell of a podrace. There's two major contenders and he'll definitely want to meet _both_ of them." 

"Will do." Quinlan stands then. But before he goes, he offers two additional words of advice. "A bond between a Master and a Padawan can never be broken. And from where I"m sitting? You're a great Jedi." 

~ 

On her way back to the Lars' homestead, Ahsoka does what she does every day on her way home: she stops at the grave of Shmi Skywalker. 

"It was a good day. The Force was with us. Things are going to be really good for the babies and Padmé." She glances up into the sky and considers her words carefully. "Your other son will not be happy, I suppose. But I didn't make a promise to that one." 

She glances up into the sky, where the suns are setting. "I say it every time I come here, but ... thank you. For giving him up. It must have hurt you so much, but he made so many people's lives better." 

Someday, she'll be able to say it without there being tears. But today isn't that day. In fact, today she must be feeling particularly emotional because she imagines, for a brief moment, she imagines that she can hear Anakin saying her name. 

She swallows hard and wipes the tears away. "Also, tomorrow I'm gonna ruin Watto's day _completely_ and it's gonna be great." 

~

That night, Ahsoka lies in the tiny bed next to Padmé and feels the twins kick beneath her fingers while she tells Padmé about the events of the day. 

"They seem active," Ahsoka says. "Have they been that way all day?" 

"I might have ... lost my temper a bit today at Owen," Padmé confesses. "I used to have better diplomacy skills. I'm sure of it. But ... I can't have him asserting who is and isn't a part of my family. And you are, Ahsoka. Never doubt that." 

"I'm sorry I missed it." Ahsoka sighs. "I miss all the good things when I'm out having clandestine meetings with shadow Jedi. By the way, do you know who the 'sympathizers' in the Senate are?" 

"Probably Bail. He was my dearest friend there," Padmé says. She sounds so sad about it, and Ahsoka doesn't blame her. She lost her friends, after all, as well as her husband. 

"Don't be sad, Padmé," Ahsoka says softly. "Tomorrow, we will have a baby room to decorate and a sad, sad little unemployed slaver." 

"A perfect way to begin our children's legacy," Padmé notes. 

Ahsoka laughs softly. Neither of them sleep for a long time, and the twins spend the night keeping Ahsoka company through the Force.


	4. Dawn

Ahsoka returns to the cantina in Anchorhead one more time, to tie up loose ends. She has some regulars there, and she needs to redirect her business stream. She's actually delighted when Chal shows up to meet her. 

"My pretty little Togruta!" he greets as he sits down at her table. "I have a big deal for you. I'm leaving Tatooine! You can come with me, as payment for another job I need to have done." 

Ahsoka laughs, even as her heart tugs at the idea of leaving Tatooine. She'd like to; taking Padmé and the twins and flying back to Coruscant is exactly what she wants to do. 

But she made a promise.

"Are you really leaving Tatooine this time, Chal? You have told me that you are leaving four times since I came to this planet." 

Chal shrugs his shoulders. "This time, I will have better luck, maybe. I'm going to Corellia!" 

"Corellia is even worse than Tatooine," Ahsoka tells him. "Here we have one Hutt. There? Everyone wants to be a Hutt. And some of them want to be even worse." 

Chal's expression wavers for a moment, and Ahsoka wonders if she is being too harsh with him. She does not intend to be, but Chal has been her link to the outside world beyond Padmé, Anakin, and the twins. She doesn't want him flying off into trouble, and there's nothing on Corellia but trouble.

"I'll be alright," he argues, but the defiance is an act. "Twi'leks are good at fitting in, you know. It's why we are such good thieves and why the Hutts try to steal the prettier ones for themselves." 

Ahsoka can feel the temper building inside of her at the casual reference to slavery, but she wills it away. Now is not the time to start to forget all that she has been taught in controlling her temper. "Then I will wish you the best," she says. "But I cannot go with you. So tell me what your other job is, and we'll discuss payment terms then." 

"Pretty little Ashla, you drive a difficult bargain. Pity you cannot be my co-pilot." But Chal has met her resolve before, so he goes on to say, "There are some Raiders. They have stolen from a thief. Can you believe that?" 

"What kind of world is it, when a thief can't travel around without having his good taken?" Ahsoka asks dryly. 

Around her, the Force shakes with displeasure at the mention of the Raiders. She doesn't know why the Force fills with fury each time the Tuskens come up, but this time, it feels even more furious. It's louder, somehow, and Ahsoka takes a deep breath to try to steady her own emotions, in case her agitation is feeding it in anyway. But the fury remains.

"I know! That is what I said. But anyway... they may have stolen a chip. Something I need to get off of this planet. If I cannot deliver it, then my freedom ... is no longer guaranteed." 

"Are we talking your freedom or your life?" 

"Are they different things, my pretty little Togruta?" 

Ahsoka shakes her head at him. "I have to fight Raiders, so you know the price is higher." 

"The chip it is worth enough to pay you double your normal Raiders fee, dear Ashla." 

Ahsoka doesn't really need the money, but it's going to be her last job for a while. And even though the Force is howling with ... disgust, disapproval and fury... Ahsoka doesn't turn him down. Chal's been a good client and fighting the Raiders almost feels like she is _doing_ something besides sitting on a dust bowl and waiting for time to pass. 

_If that's you haunting me, Anakin, you can't blame me. I learned recklessness from the very best._

~

Tracking the Tusken Raiders is not entirely difficult. When they move throughout the sands of Tatooine, they do not bother to hide their tracks. To them, it is clear that few people fear them. Why should they think otherwise? Their survival depends daily on the fear of moisture farmers and lesser criminals. It isn't as though the Tusken Raiders are fighting Jabba.

But although tracking them isn't difficult, Ahsoka still finds herself hunched over behind a large boulder as she observes the group that she has followed. It's a simple little camp. Getting in and getting out looks like it will be marginally difficult, but only because there's so many of them. She isn't sure which one of them has the chip that belongs to Chal, and there's no immediate way to determine which one of them is the leader. 

So, though she is a long way from Shili, Ahsoka crouches down and uses the skills her people once used as they maneuvered through the red-and-white turu-grass of their native scrublands. On her home planet, many Togruta have only their montrals to guide them, but Ahsoka also has the Force. Loud and angry that it may be around her, she still _needs_ it. Hunched behind her rock, looking down onto the camp, she releases as much calmness into the Force as she can. It's the opposite of what she would normally do; she has been taught to release her anger, fear, and worry into the Force. 

But it feels as though the Force has enough of that. So Ahsoka tries the opposite. 

For a moment, at least, it seems to work. A stillness comes over the Force again, and Ahsoka can feel more clearly. She has time to feel the movement in the tent below her, and she _knows_ it is the right tent. It's a hunch, and not particularly one that she can justify.

But there is nobody here to justify herself too, is there?

Ahsoka drops down as slowly and quietly as she can. Her movements are quick and deliberate and although she has a lightsaber in one hand, her free hand allows her to use the Force with less deadly force - but no less degree of accuracy. 

The minute she steps into the tent, the Force stops being quiet and stops being still. 

There are four Raiders inside the tent. The one that attacks her first loses his arm - the very arm that had been holding the blaster he'd tried to shoot her with. The other three feel the full brunt of Ahsoka's command of the Force as she shoots her arm out instead of the lightsaber. The remaining three fall into a pile at the back of the tent as Ahsoka escapes with Chal's chip in her hand. 

Fleeing the camp, she takes a different way back to Anchorhead. She wonders as she leaves if this is what her people feel like when they are hunting down thimiars as prey and why she can't quite shake the sense of triumph that surrounds her as she leaves the Tusken camp.

~ 

She makes it back to Anchorhead before mid-day and Chal is good to his word, after a bit of negotiation, of course. It's a pity, Ahsoka thinks, that she won't get to introduce Obi-Wan to Chal. The two negotiators could certainly have a lot to compare notes over when it came to talking smoothly to the enemy. 

She allows herself a drink, because fighting the Tuskens always makes her feel like she needs one. 

"Tonight, I will be moving to Mos Espa," she tells Chal. "I have already bought the place. It's a bit smaller over there than it is in Anchorhead. It's almost a pity you won't be around. I could use someone to ... direct traffic my way." 

"I am leaving Tatooine," he says, and he sounds very uncertain about it. "... But if I should have other plans, where would you be?" 

"I"m going to ruin Watto's whole life," Ahsoka says cheerfully.

Chal grins at her. "Togrutas are venomous in more than one way, it appears." 

"We take care of our tribes," she says, and the Force stops feeling quite so furious. "And once, someone was not kind to mine." 

"Hmm," Chal says. "But why would I direct your traffic? What would be in it for me?" 

Ahsoka shrugs. "Ten percent?" 

"Ten percent is hardly a reason to stay on Tatooine," Chal says indignantly. "Fifty." 

Ahsoka shakes her head. "You aim too high for someone leaving Tatooine," she says. "You shouldn't aim higher than twenty-five percent." 

Chal fingers the chip in his hand. "I am leaving. But if I should show up again, I would accept 30 percent." 

Ahsoka tilts her glass in his direction. "I would agree to those terms, if you should show up again." 

~ 

"Are you ready?" Ahsoka blurts out when she arrives back to the Lars' homestead. 

Padmé gives her a look, and Ahsoka supposes that's fair. It's not the most polite thing in the world to just blurt out, but oh, Ahsoka has wanted to leave this place for far too long. She would have wanted to leave earlier in the day, but Padmé is far too pregnant with two very loud babies who make traveling in the heat of the desert day too difficult. 

"Before you go, I have something for you," Beru says. 

"Oh, Beru, you've already been so kind. You don't have to give us anything else," Padmé says, because she is a far more charitable person than Ahsoka is. 

That's fine, Ahsoka thinks. She will teach the twins how to fight, while Padmé teaches them how to be kind. Between the two of them, their children will turn out to be amazing Jedi - even if they won't technically be Jedi at all. 

Because Ahsoka knows that to be true. She knows that there is no power in the entire universe that could convince Padmé to give up her children to be raised in the creche. Perhaps it is a true testament to the fact that Ahsoka was never meant to be one at all, because that thought is not as horrifying as it should be. She knows that Anakin's children could be amazing Jedi. She doesn't doubt that for a moment; she also knows that Padmé being their mother means they have twice the amount of amazing going for them.

But she can't imagine giving them away, and she's glad that Padmé won't ever ask her to send the children somewhere Ahsoka can't keep watch over them. 

Owen is nowhere to be found; he's probably still out cleaning the vaporators or something equally important. He and Ahsoka have been carefully not talking to one another since the last time they did, so as far as Ahsoka can tell, it's a very good thing that he's not here at all. 

"Nonsense." Beru picks up a small box from the table and hands it to Ahsoka. "Shmi didn't have a lot of keepsakes. But there are a few things that belong with her grandchildren. There's a journal she kept when Anakin was a small boy... she loved Anakin very much, and that seems like the kind of thing his children should know." 

Ahsoka grips the box tightly and nods her head. "Their dad was a pretty easy guy to get attached to," she says softly. 

And oh, the twins are definitely going to know that. 

Beside her, Padmé smiles at her kindly and places a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ready?" she asks Ahsoka.

Ahsoka swallows hard and nods. "Let's go home," she says. 

~

Padmé sleeps in the next day, but Ahsoka does not. She slips out of the much larger bed that they have shared, ready to start the day. There's so much to be done, and so many changes to make before the twins get here. She's not sure that they will have time.

But she knows the first order of business is making sure that there's another bed. The twins and Padmé are going to take up the main one, after all. 

Ahsoka spends most of the morning taking stock of what has to be fixed in Watto's old shop. The shop itself is open and leads out into the yard full of junk - some of it more valuable than the rest of it - and it will be a great place for Ahsoka to set up shop as a mechanic. With the bonus funds from the sympathetic fractions in the Senate, Ahsoka thinks that maybe she can focus on just fixing up people's junk for them. Once the twins are born... she will be needed at home more often. She will need to guide them in how to use the Force that they are both already gifted in. 

She thinks that as she cleans the shelves of debris and starts to put items into some sort of an order that makes sense. But she also knows how difficult it will be to stay in one place all the time. 

Will the Tusken Raiders continue to be a menace? If so, will she be able to remain in one spot? If Chal comes to her and pleads a case, will she be able to tell him no? If a farmer is in need of his banthas that the Tusken Raiders have stolen, will she be able to tell them no?

She won't, Ahsoka realizes as she plays with a power converter in her fingers. 

She is in the middle of that depressing realization when she hears a familiar buzzing behind her. 

"You're not getting your shop back, Watto," she tells him before she turns around.

"I know, I know. But consider a new deal: I could work for you," he tells her. "The shop, it's pretty big. I could - "

"No," Ahsoka says, and it's far too firm for a Jedi. 

_There is no emotion, there is peace._ She repeats the mantra in her head and wills her temper to go _away_. The Force, which had been furious and angry the day before, welcomes her release of her anger; it's silent today. Maybe it's having a discussion with the twins.

Or maybe Anakin's haunting Obi-Wan at the moment. 

"Why not? You are Skywalker family, are you not? I treated them very well, for slaves, you know." 

Ahsoka grips the power converter in her hands tightly and turns to face Watto abruptly. She must not be doing the best job releasing the anger she feels, because Watto flies back abruptly. She can sense the fear in him, and well, Ahsoka's never liked scaring people. 

But she still can't let him talk such nonsense. "Have can you say that?" 

"It is true. Slavery, it is a way of life around here." 

"Because people like you let it be," she says, and she ignores the ache in her chest that says that she isn't doing anything to put a stop to it either. 

"There are those who are cruel," Watto argues. "I was not. They owe me - " 

The lightsaber is in her hand in a flash. She breathes deeply. _There is no passion. There is peace_ , she tries to remind herself, and for a moment, her internal voice sounds very much like Anakin – which is ridiculous, because he was rarely peaceful. 

"There is one Skywalker in particular...and there is so much I don't know about him that I should," she says softly. "If you had treated him well, that wouldn't be the case. You will not stay here." 

"But there is no where else to go on Tatooine!" he protests. "The slaves, they do not want me either." 

And the Hutt barely forgive the fact that Watto had owed him money. "And I thought you treated them well," she says. "Look, maybe Tatooine isn't the place for you. I hear there's a ship leaving for Corellia." 

Watto's wings flap angrily. "Corellia! That sewer!" 

"The best place for rats," Ahsoka tells him. 

Watto's wings flap lower, and he bows his head as he starts to turn. 

The voice Ahsoka hears this time is the same gravely one she'd heard in her vision aboard the ship. It isn't Anakin's voice. It's lower, and she doesn't know whom it belongs to. But it's mildly displeased with her, and it repeats _There is no chaos, there is harmony_ until she feels compelled to be nicer to Watto than she wants to.

"If you are around the galaxy, maybe find a pirate by the name of Hondo," she says to Watto. 

"A pirate?" Watto seems to consider it. 

"A pirate or a rat," Ahsoka tells him. "We all have choices to make." 

As Watto leaves, Padmé enters the shop. The living quarters are separated from the shop by a door, one that will likely only be closed when Padmé is sleeping. 

"I'm glad you didn't let him stay," Padmé tells her. 

"You heard that?" 

"You ... get a little loud when you feel strongly about something," Padmé says with amusement. Then her expression softens. "It's why you and Anakin made such a great team, you know." 

"There's supposed to be balance in the Force," Ahsoka reminds her. "I'm not sure all our tempers were very ... harmonious." 

"Maybe not. But that's why you had me and Obi-Wan." Padmé comes over to sit next to Ahsoka and Ahsoka can't resist the urge to hug her.

"You're getting very difficult to hug," she murmurs into Padmé's shoulder and she is rewarded with a laugh. 

"I hear having twins will do that," Padmé chuckles into her hair. 

Around them, the Force feels warm for the first time since the incident with the Tusken Raiders the day before.   
~ 

Chal comes to visit two days after they move in. It's not surprising, but Ahsoka pretends to be surprised and welcomes the repairs he brings her. 

Five days after the repairs, Ahsoka is working on a cradle for Twin Number Two, while Padmé works on separating the very large pile of miscellaneous materials into piles that make some semblance of sense. 

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather be relaxing, Padmé?" Ahsoka asks. She's asked once today, but Padmé has been walking extra slowly today and the twins are very _loud_ in the Force today.

"I'm sure!" Ahsoka has never heard Padmé sound short with her, but Padmé sighs and Ahsoka bites her lip to keep from smiling. Apparently, pregnancies with twins on desert planets is not suiting Padmé very well. Ahsoka understands that, but apparently Padmé feels bad about even a short burst of temper. "I'm sorry, Ahsoka. But I need something to do! It feels like these babies are never going to come out and I want to meet them so badly."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure they are going to arrive sooner than you think," Ahsoka teases her. 

"Tell them it's very rude to talk to their Aunt Ahsoka and not come out to meet their mother," Padmé says irritably.

"I will tell them no such thing." 

Padmé brushes a handful of hair out of her eyes; it had once always seemed so neat, but these days it's always a bit limp and clinging to her forehead. Ahsoka doesn't understand human hair, but Padmé blames it on the temperature of Tatooine. 

They don't talk about Naboo, but there is always a wistfulness in her voice that makes it unnecessary. Ahsoka understands it, far better than she can speak of while keeping her promise.

Padmé takes a seat for a moment and leans her head down on her elbow. "They have been kicking non-stop all day. I think it would be less painful if there was just one of them. But oh, what a team they are." 

"I'm sure they'll make their debut soon," Ahsoka promises. 

"Yesterday would have been a good day," Padmé says.

"But the Force works in mysterious ways. The babies will come when they are meant to," Ahsoka promises. "Not before and - "

She has more comments to make on that, and the look on Padmé's face says that she does too, but a sudden feeling of pure joy explodes around Ahsoka in the Force. She hasn't felt anything this strong in the Force since the day she stepped off the ship with Rex. 

She's up off the floor in an instant, but as it turns out, she doesn't have time to reach for her lightsaber before the visitor walks through their door.

As it turns out, she doesn't need to. 

"Hello there," Obi-Wan says in greeting. "Have I missed the podrace?" 

Ahsoka reaches him first and it says a lot about everything that has happened that he not only doesn't show surprise when she throws her arms around him, but wraps his arms around her in a return hug. She's still holding on when Padmé joins them and manages to somewhat throw her arms around half of Ahsoka and half of Obi-Wan. 

Ahsoka feels a sob and she doesn't know if it comes from Padmé, herself or Obi-Wan. She's too busy feeling the jubilation in the Force.

None of them should be surprised that the twins decide at that moment that they really need to make their debut. 

~ 

The twins are not going to be delivered by medical droids. 

She knows that Jabba has a medical droid. And, when Ahsoka stops hugging Obi-Wan, she realizes that both C-3PO and R2 are standing in the doorway. 

"I was not programmed to deliver children!" C-3PO says. "I am not a medical droid. Oh, dear, oh dear. But I will do what I must, of course you are right, R2-D2." 

Ahsoka rolls her eyes. "You are not delivering the babies, C-3PO," she says.

"Oh, thank goodness," he says. 

"There's a midwife down the street who has already agreed to deliver them. And she has experience with delivering twins," Ahsoka says. "Obi-Wan, can you help Padmé to her room? I'll be back."

"Of course," he says.

Before Ahsoka is at the door, she can see Padmé leaning on Obi-Wan as they start to go through the entrance to the living quarters with R2-D2 and C-3PO behind them. 

She smiles at the way that Obi-Wan places his hand on the small of her back. 

"They were waiting for you to get here," Ahsoka hears Padmé say through gritted teeth. "You couldn't have come sooner?" 

Ahsoka doesn't wait for the reply. There will be time to catch up later. 

~ 

Ahsoka is never, ever giving birth. She makes that decision at the first push. The way that the strongest woman in the galaxy screams in agony is a definite deal-breaker on the whole giving birth deal. It is apparently enough to freak out Obi-Wan, too, because he keeps holding Padmé's hand and telling her how strong she is. Ahsoka holds her other hand and thinks that she'd rather fight Dooku, Grievous, and an entire planet of battle droids than be the kind of strong Padmé is at the moment. 

Fourteen hours of excruciating pain later, Ahsoka holds a tiny little bundle of wide-eyed little girl in her arms, and Obi-Wan holds an equally wide-eyed little boy in his arms. 

The mid-wife has given instructions for feeding and rest, been paid, and has promised to come back tomorrow. C-3PO has been wooshed away by R2-D2, and Padmé looks so very tired.

Yep, Ahsoka is never giving birth.

"Well, they made their debut in the middle of a peaceful time, just to cause a bit of chaos," Padmé says sleepily. 

"They are definitely Anakin's children," Ahsoka says. 

Padmé's laugh is soft and if there's a bit of a sob to it, Ahsoka pretends not to notice.


End file.
